Edwards Truth
by BML Hillen-Keene
Summary: Capell learns something of Edwards past, and it is very surprising. Disclaimer: Own nothing at all!


_Based on my own personal belief that Edward is in fact the illegitimate child of the King of Burgass. There is no evidence in game for this. But there were just a few things that stuck out for me and somehow I ended up with the idea that Edward was the 'bastard son'._

_1) __Edward cannot read well, or at least that is the impression I got from the scene in the Helgita library. (why would this make him the illegitimate child? Well, read on to find out)_

_2) __There was absolute surprise on his face when Sigmund requested he join him in entering the castle in Burgass._

_3) __Savio bowed, it might have been courteous, but we already know he was one of the important people in Burgass, and he didn't bow to Sigmund who is a known adopted Prince of Helgita._

_4) __Edward becomes the King of Burgass after the fall of Veros (if nothing else, this is all the proof I need)._

"What did I do this time?" Capell asked, throwing himself down onto the seat beside Savio in despair. Edward had stalked off in yet another huff, which were becoming rarer now thankfully. But Capell did not know what he had done this time that was so bad.

"Edward has some deep-seated insecurities, and you unearthed one." Savio told him.

Capell frowned. "All I did was ask to sit in the next time he was reading to the little one's. My adopted parents weren't the kind for telling stories."

Savio nodded wisely. "In Burgass, if you had suggested he could read, and it reached the wrong ears he would be imprisoned."

"Imprisoned?" Capell asked, shocked. "Why would someone be imprisoned for reading. That's a stupid law."

Savio shook his head, his face serious. "It is an archaic law, but one that has served the kings and Queens of the land well in the past for ensuring that indiscretions are not brought to life. Though thankfully it has moved on from lifelong imprisonment."

"Indiscretions?" Capell asked.

Savio sighed. "What I tell you now must never be repeated, not while the Royal family of Burgass still lives."

Capell was now very intrigued. "of course." He promised.

"Edward is the 6th child of the Azure King, born to a peasant woman."

"Edwards a Prince!" Capell gasped.

Savio shook his head. "Edward is allowed no claim on the throne, he is a bastard child. To this end laws are in place to ensure that he is neither skilled enough, nor learned enough to ever challenge the rightful heirs. By disallowing him the right to read, write, or be taught anything of history, war or politics, Edward has been effectively disabled, even if he were to somehow gain the throne, he doesn't know enough about his own land to be able to run it effectively." Savio sighed and looked away, at the door Edward had stormed through when he'd left. "It is archaic, heartless and ridiculous, but it is the law. As I said, it is good that we moved past lifelong imprisonment. Illegitimate children over a hundred years ago were simply locked away in the dungeons and left to rot. If they were ever found after their parents death they were usually killed, a mercy killing they would say, as they would be mad from the isolation. The cell they were kept in still exists, built so there would be no escape. There are still bones of the babies and small children scattered in with those who managed to survive on the rats and disease infested water down there."

Capell shuddered. "That's horrible." Was all he could say.

Savio nodded. "Edward was the first illegitimate in over 50 years. It took some convincing, but I managed to dissuade his father from following his grandfather's example and branding him." At Capells horrified look, Savio explained. "The Kings Grandfather had many indiscretions, too many to use the cell. So he had all his illegitimate children branded, and set the law as we know it now. The Brands were designed to let people know they were not to teach these children, and gave full rights to treat them as lower even than the unblessed. Though the King had committed the indiscretion, it was the children who suffered for it, as if it was their fault."

"But that's…"

"Barbaric?" Savio completed his sentence. "I am ashamed to say. You are the first outside of Burgass to know of this. But in any case, I managed to convince the King not to Brand Edward. But Edward has lived under the law his whole life, he even spent a number of months in the cell. I never heard the reason for it, and Edward's uncle refused to speak of it when I returned from Kolton, and Edward was in no state to answer my questions. It was not until Sigmund that he began to come out of himself, to want to learn again. Sigmund taught him the basics of reading, he has improved much since then, but compared to others of his age, his knowledge is that of a child."

"So you know Edward, from before?" Capell asked.

"From he was young, yes. I was the one set to watch over him, to make sure his uncle followed the law to the letter. I was somewhat lax in my duties." Savio smiled then. "His uncle and I often had long conversations about the state of the kingdom, and of periods in history that we both found interesting, and Edward was often so quiet you would forget he was still in the room." He shrugged easily, remembering the countless questions the little boy had asked of him. "I do not agree with the law, nor with the way illegitimates are treated. But soon enough it will change."

"Change?" Capell asked.

"I had a vision of the future when Edward was born, an unshakeable vision, nothing I or anyone else does can change this. Edward will become King of Burgass. With his coronation we shall see an end to the practices of old."

"How can you be sure?" Capell asked.

Savio smiled. "Because no one who had suffered like he, would ever treat anyone else in such a way. Despite how he acts, he has a heart of gold. He would give his life as quick for an unblessed as he would for an aristo."

Capell didn't need to imagine it, he had come to see the real Edward over time, and there was no one as soft-hearted as him. Suddenly he groaned. "You've made my life a lot more difficult now!" he said.

Savio raised an eyebrow in question.

"How am I supposed to apologise for this, and not let on that I know who and what he is?"

_Ended there, because I suck at endings. Well, this might seem a little overdone and strange, but it's my story and I'm sticking to it. Apparently in actual history a king and queen made the decision to dress their second son in girls clothing, and treated him like a girl and made him vain and self absorbed so that he would never want to challenge his older brother for the throne. So, if royalty can do that to legitimate heirs to the throne, just imagine what they could do to illegitimate heirs._


End file.
